April 09, 2009

The 'Dollhouse' situation and what Whedon should do next

I spent part of this morning dealing with a sick pet and much of the rest of the day trying to write a "How I Met Your Mother" piece I've been meaning to finish for some time. So I missed the Twitter heard 'round the world, at least the TV world.

Actress Felicia Day said on her Twitter micro-blog that the "Dollhouse" episode in which she makes a guest appearance, "Epitaph One," won't air on Fox. The Dr. Horrible Twitter, which is a Whedon family project, confirmed the news.

That led to speculation that the show has been canceled, which is not the case. Actually, I'm glad I wasn't on Twitter when this story blew up -- by late this afternoon, several capable TV writers had sorted out the situation.

And the situation is this: Fox ordered 13 episodes of "Dollhouse." It considers the pilot that was shot but scrapped to be one of those episodes. So as far as Fox is concerned, it is obliged to air 12 more episodes of "Dollhouse." That run of 12 episodes ends on May 8, when an episode titled "Omega" airs (there's more on upcoming episodes of "Dollhouse" here).

The studio that makes "Dollhouse" chose to make one additional episode, "Epitaph One," so that it can sell a 13-episode DVD set. Fox apparently will not air that episode, which is a standalone episode that does not resolve issues raised in "Omega." (Watch With Kristin has details on "Epitaph One" here.)

That is my understanding from reading the following sources:

Alan Sepinwall has an excellent breakdown of the situation here: "Fox network won't decide the fate of 'Dollhouse'
until Upfront week, near the end of May, and the decision not to air 'Epitaph One' has nothing whatsoever to do with renewal."

Watch With Kristin has another rundown and more details on "Omega": "'Omega' ... was written and directed by
Tim Minear .... Focused on the Alpha storyline,
sources say that 'Omega' apparently 'closes some doors and opens other
ones,' and was always intended to be and serves effectively as the
season one finale."

Minear clarified the situation on Whedonesque (which has many "Dollhouse" links today) in this comment to the site: "Because we scrapped the original pilot -- and in fact cannibalized some
of its parts for other eps -- we really ended up with 12 episodes. But
the studio makes DVD and other deals based on the original 13 number.
So we created a standalone kind of coda episode....We always knew it would be for the DVD
for sure, but we also think Fox should air it because it’s awesome."

Daniel Fienberg has an excellent account of the current situation and also some thoughts about the show's future: "Will 'Dollhouse' eventually be cancelled? I can't tell you that today. I can
tell you to look at the show's ratings. If you just look at overnight
and Fast National figures, that will probably tell you that hopes are
bleak for a second 'Dollhouse' season. If you look at DVR and iTunes
and other ancillary numbers, it might offer hope."

Jace at the Televisionary site says "Omega" should offer closure to Season 1: "All lingering questions from 'Omega' won't be resolved until Season Two anyway," an insider told him.

My take is this: If "Dollhouse" is canceled, for the love of all that is holy, creator Joss Whedon should get out of business with the broadcast networks.

If the "Dollhouse" is closed, I would very much hope Whedon would not feel so scarred by another unpleasant Fox experience that he would stop making TV shows altogether. I want Whedon to keep making TV shows. He's very good at it. But I'd love for him to make a show with a cable network that believes in his vision and lets him do the things that he does well from the start. As it stands, "Dollhouse" didn't reach must-see status until recently (I wrote about its improvement here), mainly because Fox wanted more standalone episodes at the start of the season.

I would like to see what kind of wonderfully dense, risk-taking project Whedon would come up with when he is not hampered by the current conservative climate at the networks, which these days want most story lines to wrap up by the end of the hour. Can you imagine what a Whedon show on HBO, Showtime, FX or AMC would look like?

And the bonus would be this: It's almost unheard of for cable networks not to air complete seasons of their shows. Yes, I know we can get into hairsplitting about whether Fox is just airing what it asked for and all that. My point is not to demonize Fox (though you should feel free to complain about the network's decision, should you so desire). In these nervous times, the broadcast networks have shifted their priorities and become more risk-averse (a trend I wrote about here).

That's their right, and there are certainly standalone-style shows I enjoy a great deal. He can do that kind of thing competently, but Whedon's shows are at their best when they're allowed to be complicated and serialized.

My point is this: Whedon needs to make his next show on cable. End of story.

Photos: Eliza Dushku, the star of "Dollhouse"; Alan Tudyk, who guest stars on the May 1 episode of the show.

Comments

Great Piece Mo!
I for one wholeheartedly agree with you about Joss moving to cable. And while he's at it, he should take Bryan Fuller & Tim Minear with him!!
The three of them would creat probably the best cable show of all time, given free reign to do so!!
How's this for an idea; A guy who can touch things and bring them back to life, with a lovable band of western-ish rogues, on a secret underground race across the universe!?!?

I know I'm repeating myself here, but once again: The business model of the networks is broken & the fools running the nets just don't understand that & in the very near future they will be in the same place financially as GM & I assure you I don't want them bailed out!

Even if Joss Whedon makes a show on cable television (and given the void left by Battlestar Galactica, The Syfy network seems like a perfect place), wouldn't he still be dealing with the same network business models? NBCUniversial owns Syfy. NBC has outright rejected Whedon before. FX has been known for grittier television (The Shield, Rescue Me) but is owned by Fox. Viacom and Disney which owns CBS and ABC respectively have similar, if not more, domination over cable networks. ABCFamily might offer the best possibility with the departure of Kyle XY. However, creating television on cable would also limit his ability to reach a wider audience. How would Whedon's experience in cable be any better than with network television?

Whedon has said he plans to be involved in more "guerrila" internet projects a la Dr. Horrible. Wouldn't this allow him to reach the most people and remain unfiltered?

Fox again?! First they agree to produce Buffy but not air it. Then they completely screw with Firefly. And now all these games with Dollhouse. Joss please learn the lesson, Fox is EVIL! Move on to another forum, your genius is wasted on them. Mo, thanks for the update, I had been told it was cancelled at the end of this season already.

Fox again?! First they agree to produce Buffy but not air it. Then they completely screw with Firefly. And now all these games with Dollhouse. Joss please learn the lesson, Fox is EVIL! Move on to another forum, your genius is wasted on them. Mo, thanks for the update, I had been told it was cancelled at the end of this season already.

I've often wondered why he doesn't do cable--although in this case, it was Dushku's contract, and he did shop Firefly with no success. But I've wondered also if he has some kind of political or idealistic interest in free TV, or if he likes the idea of reaching the bigger audience, or the bigger broadcast budgets . . . but I agree--time for cable! I'm only really interested in super well-written serialized shows (and usually on itunes/ streaming/dvd). There has to be a way to profit from something that appeals to "only" several million people at a time!

I agree. I think Dollhouse was meant for cable, with no rating restrictions to hamper its storytelling and without the need for mega ratings, a premium cable channel would have allowed for a slow build in regard to audience numbers, that would better serve to eventually grow that audience, without, week to week, network pressures for an initial series break-out hit.

In terms of tone, Dollhouse needed a license to be kinky and adult. It should have been like Sex In The City, The Sopranos, The L Word, and Secret Dairy of A Call Girl, in respect to hard sexual content, nudity, explectives and even violence. If renewed by Fox though, the studio, not the network, Whedon should request that the show be placed on Showtime, HBO, or Cinemax, etc., for its second season, so that he can direct the show into these tabu territories, as it would add great intellectual body and meaning to the series that it just can't touch or explore on network television due to ratings restrictions.

Dollhouse airs on Fox because Eliza Dusku has a development deal with them. Whedon became attached to the project from a brainstorming session with her, not through a direct deal between his production company and Fox. I'm enjoying Dollhouse's revival after a kind of dismal start and hope it gets renewed but if it doesn't, I hope he follows your advice, Maureen.

Fox is just like Lucy holding the football and Whedon and his acolytes are like Charlie Brown. Fox/Lucy promises "No, this time is different. I'll let you do what you want and hit the ball." Charlie Brown/Whedonites always trusting say, "Ok, I'm sure they won't screw with me again." And sure enough, every time...Buffy, Firefly, Drive, closing in on Dollhouse, Lucy/Fox pulls the ball out from under Charlie/Whedon.

Joss - you have GOT to go to cable. Stop letting Fox hurt you, Tim Minear and the rest of us Whedonites by doing this to you. TNT, TBS, AMC would kill to have your shows and they would treat you well. I don't ever suspect that money is the issue which of course Fox has tons of, but still as a Whedonite, we love all your work. Emphasis on "your". Fox has messed, picked and prodded at your work for far too long.

I'm really liking Dollhouse after the Fox mandated stand alones (although I miss the trademark Whedon wit...Topher's annoying...sorry). Please keep up the great work Joss, we'll watch your shows on any network that it appears on.

Here's the thing, as excellent as his series are, none of Joss Whedon's series have ever drawn the numbers that a big four network would want from a prime-time series. Buffy & Angel's numbers were good...for the WB, if they were on NBC, CBS, FOX or ABC, they'd be considered awful. I agree that Whedon should move to a cable network, or even back to the CW (if it survives), but then again, he doesn't seem to pitch the type of series that skew towards the older-adult market that cable networks target. Most of his shows seem to be made for the 15-25 year-old set. Maybe that's just what he thought Fox wanted, but it really seems like he needs to up his game.

Thanks for this, Mo. You're absolutely right about Whedon's need to escape from network mindsets and the lessons of history. Also, a show like "Dollhouse" should be able to explore the edge a little (or a lot) further. Here's hoping his next project is on cable.

Jason says it well. The Whedon-ites come at you with this "Joss has never failed yet" mantra. But the fact is, Joss has never once put together an audience that would keep a show on the big networks. And when Firefly was canceled, the Whedon-ites took to the big screen with Serenity to show Fox how wrong it was, and Serenity did nothing at the box office (and wasn't any good, if you ask me).

So this attitude that you just have to keep Dollhouse on another year and the audience will show up is just that, attitude.

i'm loving Dollhouse more with each week and have an odd confidence it'll be renewed (and then yanked half way through the second season -- Tru Calling anyone?). my dream project for Joss would be a cable adaptation of Terry Moore's Strangers in Paradise. it's funny and smart and complex and has wicked strong female characters. he could get five years out of it while doing original stuff online.

However, Whedon told Rolling Stone a few months ago -- before "Dollhouse" even aired -- that he was pretty much done with TV, and his next series would be for the web. That would probably give him even more freedom than cable, but I think the viewing experience wouldn't be the same.

Great article Maureen. I agree that cable is the place for Whedon. On cable a show with a solid 2-4 million viewers is a *hit*. Whedon can deliver that level of viewers, and really explore new story territory that he can't on network TV. The broadcast networks seem to demand 8-10 million viewers to stay alive, and that's not something Whedonesque shows seem capable to deliver.

In deft, capable hands Dollhouse could have been a searing indictment on human trafficking, rape and prostitution. In Whedon's hands those brutal themes were glamorized with slick sets, hot bods and skimpy dresses. This tacky show revolved around Actives protecting the Dollhouse, the institution that subjects them to sexual, physical and mental abuse. The Dollhouse villains spent hours orating on why they aren't the criminals they seem; the Actives have bodyguards, the Actives volunteered, the technology is there so why not abuse it. But the show was just a cowardly male fantasy wrapped up in sexy packaging to make viewers feel okay about the abuse. If this were produced by another writer it would never have been embraced by the media. Whedon has provided countless interviews claiming his show has a "message" and is "girl-power friendly" (my favorite is his claim that the show was approved by a women's organization; which one was that, Hustler?) Whedon constructs kindly father figures and wacky tech guys to pull at the heart strings, but at the end of the day they are all still abusers and pimps. It's a conundrum that Whedon can never overcome; Ballard will always be Echo's pimp, Topher will always be her abuser and the show needs to glamorize the crime in order to reign viewers in. If any bit of daylight were to fall on the smuttier aspects of the show far fewer fans would have tuned in. I wonder, has Whedon's brain been wiped and re-imprinted with the personality of Joe Francis? Still more disturbing is the rabid subset of Whedon fans who fill forums with gushing reviews of this dreck. They make the Manson family seem tame in comparison. Their devotion is so absolute that I worry they are blindly absorbing what they see without thinking the consequences through. By glamorizing the Dollhouse he dulls the minds of those fans to the real consequences of the Dollhouse. What will Whedon do if his more unstable fans decide to act out what they see on the show? Let's hope we won't be seeing any "Dollhouse Dungeon" cos-play parties.

The Tribune states this claim: "Comments are not posted immediately. We review them first in an effort to remove foul language, commercial messages, irrelevancies and unfair attacks. Thank you for your patience."

And yet Lulu's tract of hateful crap right above mine was printed? Excuse me? She sounds like the typical "I hate everything concerning sex and men" self-proclaimed radical feminist I am constantly arguing with. Where does she get the idea that anything Joss Whedon produces is on the same wavelength as Hustler or Joe Francis? And comparing fans to the Manson family? Are you insane? This is what "feminists" (because, knowing her type as I do, she is definitely not one) do, they make spurious claims and use unfit parallels for shock value, which only makes light of the situation. I doubt she understands the depth of the Manson Family insanity but she knows enough to use it to demonize a group of people she knows nothing about.

Oh, I can imagine who her "feminist" heroes are and they're about as sensible as a two-year-old throwing a temper tantrum. For those who are curious, look up the works of people like Robert Jensen, Gail Dines, Melissa Farley, for starters, to see how the pros spew the same ignorance that Lulu just did. Oh, and Lulu? I actually have a friend who was a victim of human trafficking and sex slavery. It resembled nothing even approaching Dollhouse or prostitution and those terms are not interchangeable.

And Tribune, don't let my response go unpublished because it is far less inflammatory than the bile that just spewed from her mouth. I haven't watched Dollhouse yet because, quite honestly, I'm not interested. Oh well, I guess I'm not part of the family according to Lulu.

Waitaminute..hold up. I just happened to stumble across this article while reading the whole "Project Runway" move-to-Lifetime mess.
You mean to tell me they're thinking of canceling "Dollhouse" ?? You're kidding me. Right ? Please...?
Look.."Dollhouse" is one of the best new shows on TV. Period.
I'm not all into Joss Whedon. Didn't watch "Buffy" or "Firefly". Didn't even know about "Firefly" until after it had already been canceled, to be honest. But this show is the BOMB ! I love Eliza Dushku, and she is FIERCE as Echo. I love seeing Harry Lennix and Reed Diamond on a weekly basis too, as they are both actors i like. The premise of the show is a trip, there's nothing else like it on TV, and they can't take it off. I'm NOT having it ! I liked "Tru Calling" too, and that got cancelled just as it was getting good.
Can't the show be moved to "Showtime" ? Maybe they could somehow get Shane from "The L Word" (Katherine Moennig) as a doll..hmm..that would be interesting indeed..
Anyway..i'm not one to write into networks about shows, but if writing to Fox about "Dollhouse" will help, i will.

As a longtime Whedon fan, it's hard for me not to see this in the expected "Joss good, Fox bad" dynamic. But I hate to be so predictable. Nothing's ever that simple. If I had to play devil's advocate, and see things from Fox's side, I'd point out that:

1) Dollhouse isn't BTVS, it isn't Angel, it isn't Firefly. No matter what changes Fox demanded, and its interference with the first several episodes, this concept just isn't anywhere near as smart or exciting as those were. The characters aren't as interesting. The storylines aren't as compelling. (Yes, the show's gotten much, much better in the past few weeks. Angel, the show, took even longer to get up to speed. But be honest: Dollhouse still has a long way to go.)

2) American Idol makes money for the network. Dollhouse does not (or at least, not much.) Personally, I can't stand Idol. Hate it. Makes my skin crawl. But that's what a majority of viewers want to see. Much as I'd love the masses to embrace all things Joss, that's just not going to happen. Face it, most people just aren't looking for something that deep in their TV viewing. If I was a "suit" at Fox, I'd have to keep my bosses happy, or lose my job. That means bringing in the viewers, and the ad money.

3) Joss should have known better. New faces at Fox? The king is dead, long live the king. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. He's been around the block long enough to know that.

All of that considered... we can all hate on Fox until the cows come home, but that's like hating on a cat because it slices open a cute little lizard. It's not that cat's fault: that's the cat's NATURE.

Fox is just doing what Fox does. If you don't want your cat slicing up lizards (or your furniture, and so on), don't get a cat. And if you don't want your show getting screwed with in a vain attempt to appease the lowest common denominator, DON'T TAKE IT TO FOX.

I'm probably in the minority on this one but I think Whedon does well WITH the networks. He too often panders to his audience and I think the networks help keep his shows more accessible. He's great with plot and story arc/structure but his dialogue is often too clever for it's own good and I find his characters and concepts to be deceptively misogynistic.

I like his work but he needs someone to answer to to reign in his flights of fancy.

The fault with the failure of the show has to lie with its creator, not the studio. Writers walk away from projects that they don't believe in, example: Bionic Woman. Good writers walked off the show rather than put a bad show on the air. If the Dollhouse premise kept Whedon up at night, if the show was a critical flop and ratings dud the blame has to lie with the guy who dreamed it all up.

Joss Whedon will not be sending any fan a muffin basket to thank them for plastering the web with "Save Dollhouse" and "Whedon was Robbed" essays.

Whedon fans spend hundreds of dollars to meet with Whedon show actors, thousands a year on Whedon show cons, books, comix -- Whedon is fast becoming the next L. Ron Hubbard. These are fans who take it upon themselves to buy multiple copies of DVDs and downloads all because they believe that they and they alone can alter the fate of his shows.

Their friends and spouses are left with Whedondrones who pay $500 for a hug from Mal or $1000 for drinks with Spike.

Personally I think it's a lot less sad to be a fan who buys multiple box sets etc (not that I would - you can't watch more than one DVD at once!) than to be hanging around on the web discussing a TV show you didn't even like, not mentioning any names *coughlulucough*.

The start of the show was a bit of a slow burn, but the final few episodes ROCKED. I am proud of being a radical feminist, and I disagree completely with everything Lulu said - all I can think is that Lulu either didn't watch the show, or just didn't understand it.

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